Troy, N.Y. — More than 1,470 students will receive degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday, May 19, at 9:30 a.m. on the Harkness Field. They represent the next generation of leaders and innovators in fields ranging from engineering to architecture, from fine arts to science, and from business to the military.

During the Institute’s 201st Commencement ceremony, Rensselaer will award 242 master’s degrees, 105 doctoral degrees, and 1,131 bachelor’s degrees. Among the graduates are business owners, patent holders, 26 perfect 4.0 students, and representatives of 30 countries including Kenya, Nepal, Poland, China, Bulgaria, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

Taking the Podium
Best-selling author Thomas Friedman, a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist, will deliver the Commencement address. His most recent book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, received the inaugural Goldman Sachs/Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award. 

Class President Hannah Kim, a management major, also will address the class. During her time at Rensselaer Kim was an ambassador both on an off campus to increase participation in events and appreciation of Rensselaer. She is co-chairwoman of “Go Be Red” and senior adviser for the “Red Army,” two student-run organizations that help raise school spirit. She also is a member of the Red & White student organization, where she represents the university to alumni, campus, and the community.

Honorary Degree Recipients
Friedman will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters during the ceremony. Don Hewitt, pioneering television producer with more than 50 years of experience at CBS News, will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. An Emmy Award winner, Hewitt is best known as the creator of the weekly news broadcast 60 Minutes. Mae Jemison, founder of two technology companies and the first African-American woman to travel in space, will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering. 

Next Generation of Innovators in the Work Force
More than 90 percent of the graduating class plans to work or pursue graduate studies. Graduates already have jobs waiting for them at Google, IBM, Bank of America, Cisco Systems, General Electric, Merck, United Airlines, General Motors, NBC Universal, the New York City Fire Department, Kimberly Clark, and Johnson & Johnson, to name a few.

Service to Their Country
Twenty-nine students will be graduating from Rensselaer’s ROTC programs and starting active military officer duty as airmen, soldiers, and sailors with the Air Force, Army, and Navy. Two graduates are joining the Marine Corps. Graduates also will be working for government agencies including the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Center.

In the Army, graduates have been assigned as active duty infantry, artillery, aviation, and armor officers. In the Navy, they have been assigned to navy ships, submarines, and aircraft squadrons across the country as well as staff positions at Naval Reactors in Washington, D.C. In the Air Force, they will become communications officers, engineers, air battle managers, and combat systems officers.  

Continuing Academic Excellence
Many graduates will continue their studies after graduation. Among the schools that graduates will be attending are Cornell, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Virginia Tech, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and, of course, Rensselaer.

Parting Gift
Each year at Commencement, the graduating class presents the university with a gift. The Class of 2007 has already raised more than $11,200 to beautify the footbridge that spans 15th Street on the Troy campus. More than 162 members of the class (15.2 percent) have donated to the project so far. The footbridge is in the center of the campus and the main route that students and faculty take to classes and residence halls. The Class of 2007 envisions making several cosmetic improvements to the cement and street structure, including clear panels along the walkway and a new Rensselaer seal. Past class gifts have included a waterfall, a clock, and the granite “Rensselaer” marker at the corner of 15th Street and Sage Avenue.

Awarding Excellence in Counseling
Thomas Zimmie, professor and acting head of civil and environmental engineering, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the David M. Darrin Counseling Award, which will be presented during the Commencement ceremony. Zimmie has been a mentor to countless students since he joined the faculty in 1973. He is recognized by his students for his one-on-one career counseling and honest advice. The award was established by David M. Darrin ’40 to recognize a faculty member who has made an unusual contribution in the counseling of undergraduate students. The selection of the award recipient is made by Phalanx, Rensselaer’s student leadership honorary society.

Contact: Gabrielle DeMarco
Phone: (518) 276-6542
E-mail: demarg@rpi.edu